The New York Times (7/11, Peachman) reports that a study release today in the journal Pediatrics finds that “many teenagers who never would have smoked cigarettes are now ‘vaping’ with flavored e-cigarettes, leading to a new generation using nicotine at rates not seen since the 1990s.” According to University of Southern California researchers, “e-cigarettes do not appear to have made a dent in regular cigarette use,” and “the rate of teenagers using nicotine — either through tobacco cigarettes or e-cigarettes — is on the rise” at 14%, which is the highest it has been since 1995.

Related Links:

— “More Nonsmoking Teens Inhaling Flavored Nicotine Through Vaping,” RACHEL RABKIN PEACHMAN, New York Times, July 11, 2016.

HealthDay (7/7, Dallas) reports that during the period 2013 to 2014, nearly three “million US teens suffered a major bout of depression,” newly released research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals. In fact, “the overall rate of depression among young people jumped to 11 percent between 2013 and 2014, up from 9.9 percent the previous year, the SAMHSA report found.”

Related Links:

— “Depression Strikes Nearly 3 Million U.S. Teens a Year,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, July , 2016.

USA Today (7/7, Zoroya) reports new data from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that on average, 20 veterans committed suicide daily in 2014. The article says this figure is “the first actual count of suicides among former service members,” and points out that the 2010 average of 22 suicides per day was an estimate. David Shulkin, VA undersecretary for health, highlighted “the slight decline from the 2010 estimate, but added, ‘it’s still far too high.’” The piece adds that according to the figures, the highest number of suicides occurred among male veterans aged 18-29, who had a suicide rate of 86 per 100,000 people; female veterans in that age group had a rate of 33 per 100,000, but the national average is 13 per 100,000 people.

Related Links:

— “20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014, new data show,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, July 7, 2016.

Healthcare IT News (7/5, Lagasse) reports telemedicine may be most helpful when used to remotely monitor patients with certain chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as for conducting psychotherapy as part of a behavioral health treatment, according to a research review conducted by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The AHRQ reviewed “58 systematic reviews amid a substantial volume of research on telemedicine” with the aim of finding the situations where the practice was most effective. Researchers looked for instances in which telemedicine programs reduced costs and improved patient outcomes.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth sweet spot? Remote monitoring of patients with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, AHRQ says,” Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare IT News, July , 2016.

Forbes (7/5, Burns) reports the University of Missouri “has been providing psychiatric and counseling services via telemedicine to patients around the state,” and a recent study “by the University of Missouri School of Medicine revealed that the video-based mental health services are being utilized in mostly rural areas by individuals who might otherwise need to travel upwards of 20 miles for support, and whose average age is 16.” Healthcare administrators across the country are looking to use telehealth for help curb opioid abuse, improve women’s access to sexual and reproductive health support, and could potentially turn to the technology to benefit children and teens looking for counseling.

Related Links:

— “Families In Rural Areas Using Telemedicine For Psychiatric, Specialty Care,” Janet Burns, Forbes, July , 2016.